Praise Him! Praise Him! – Dr. James A. Scudder

Today’s Scripture: Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised. Psalm 113:2-3

Imagine if you got a call from a multi-billionaire. He randomly dialed your number and told you he was going to give you 1 billion dollars. As you hang up the phone after agreeing to meet, you wonder if this was real or just a joke. You think there’s no way this is really happening, but you’re curious so you go along and head to the meeting. When you get there, you realize that it is real. After chatting for a while, you ask why he is giving you such an incredible gift. He tells you that he just wants to share some of the wealth he has with someone else.

If this were to happen to you, how do you think you would respond? Would you show your gratitude for such an incredible gift, or would you think that for some reason you deserved it? Would you tell others about the generous gift you received?

We can think about what it would be like to receive such an incredible gift, but we have already been given a far greater gift. We were destined to spend eternity in Hell because of our sin, but God loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us. He paid the price because there was nothing we could do. Not only is salvation worth more than 1 billion dollars, but it was given to us through God’s love. God didn’t randomly pick a number, and you happened to be the lucky person! He loved you as an individual! He would have died just for you because you are special in His eyes. This is true for the whole world. God loved us and sent His Son so we might have eternal life. All we have to do is accept His gift, and we have the promise of Heaven.

What do you think our response should be for this gift? Shouldn’t we be willing to serve Him? Shouldn’t we shout His praises forever? He has delivered us from Hell and given us a home in Heaven. No matter what we are going through, we need to remember what He has done for us. We should, like the psalmist, say, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1) We have been given the greatest gift possible; let’s share what God has done for us with someone today.